One Aggie Catholic = Priest + Engineer + Missionary

To Father Jim Chamberlain, engineering and priestly ministry are not merely compatible; they’re complementary.

Father Jim, Ph.D., P.E., is the pastor of Our Lady of Victory in Purcell, and the pastoral administrator of Saint Catherine of Siena in Pauls Valley.

He also is a staff research engineer for the University of Oklahoma WaTER Center, which aims to provide safe water and sanitation for emerging regions through education, research and service.

Both his interest in the priesthood and his aptitude for engineering began as he was growing up in Longview, Texas. When he was 13, his older brother, Tom, became a priest for the Diocese of Austin.

“I would kind of shadow him at his parish and was really intrigued with his work,” Father Jim said.

As a senior in high school, Father Jim notched the title of “Outstanding Math and Science Graduate,” and he subsequently earned a B.S. in agricultural engineering from Texas A&M University.CONTINUE READING.